#but I really value how different charles and arthur's relationship is compared to the rest of the gang

[arthursfuckinghat]

The fight with Tommy during Americans At Rest has always fascinated me. Seeing the way that Bill and Javier are just happy to watch tells us plenty about the kinds of fights that Arthur had likely gotten into over the years, but it's Charles' reactions that interests me.

He looks.. disappointed. Or at least unimpressed, maybe even shaken.

Charles' reactions are the more telling ones in the scene. Unlike Bill and Javier, who are caught up in the spectacle of the fight, Charles is more distant. He doesn't cheer Arthur on or encourage him, he just watches quietly.

It wasn't even Arthur that started the fight, but by god was he finishing it.

Charles didn't say much during the fight, or even after, he never brings it up again. Part of me thinks less that it was because he was horrified by the senseless violence, but more that he was just disappointed in Arthur for the way he handled it.

There's finishing a fight, and then there's what Arthur did to Tommy.

Needless punch after needless punch, beating that man until he was left permanently damaged after each hit. It wasn't about Tommy anymore, it was about Arthur letting the spirit of the fight get the better of him and doing more damage than he needed to amidst the chaos.

Arthur would have gladly killed Tommy, swing after swing until the man wasn't breathing anymore, and he probably would have if it wasn't for Mr Downes.

It's as if it wasn't just about the fight anymore, it was about Arthur’s internal conflict, his rage, and the frustration with his own life that just manifests in moments like these. It's a way of lashing out at something bigger than Tommy, something he doesn't know how to handle. Maybe his past, his regrets, or maybe just the man he’s become.

And Charles probably sees that. He sees Arthur as someone who is capable of more, someone who should know better, and someone who still has room to grow, even in the few months they've known eachother. But in that fight, Arthur isn't showing the restraint or self awareness that Charles values so much. It's almost like Charles is witnessing a man lost in himself, consumed by the very violence he’s been trying to avoid, and that's what brings out his disappointment.

The whole situation is one of the first few painful reminders that Arthur’s journey isn’t just about external struggles, but internal ones too. He’s not just fighting the world around him, but himself too.

In a way, Charles' disappointment could be a reflection of his hopes for Arthur. He sees Arthur as someone who is more than his role in the gang, more than the violence he’s trapped in, and when Arthur falls into that trap again, it’s not just a disappointment in his actions - it’s a reminder of the potential that’s being wasted.

It's a subtle but very significant difference in how Charles sees Arthur compared to the others in the gang, and it hurts.

[sleepyarthur]

Arthur and Mary-Beth is the OTP.

THIS WILL BE LONG. But if you’re willing to be convinced, then I invite you to read it. I also recommend watching the cutscenes and dialogue (look for them around youtube if you can) I refer here for more clarity if you’re feeling a bit confused on some parts because I can’t write well enough to save a life sometimes. :( So, first and foremost, we know Arthur’s very secretive. He’s this man who’s sensitive by nature but hides it through his gruff, masculine exterior in an attempt to still remain intimidating and superior to the other gang members, especially as Dutch’s right-hand man. There’s evidently only 3 or 4 potential people he folds to when it comes to his “romantic” side as these people put it, namely, Mary-Beth, Tilly, Hosea, and potentially Karen (although there isn’t much hint towards it). Hosea’s understandable as he loved him like a father. The girls, on the other hand, he treats as close friends, especially with the friendly banter they have from time to time. Lenny is also a possibility but he only opens up to him like twice, once when he’s drunk (”No one would have me”) and the other when Tilly and Hosea was around pushing him to answer about the way he wanted to be buried.  His interactions with Mary-Beth is a little different from the other girls. She’s the only one who he is fine with talking about his deeply personal journal, even though he just wanted to laugh with her about  his writing in particular. Also, isn’t it strange that Mary-Beth shared a mutual interest in the same hobby? Anyhow, whenever Mary-Beth asks, you bet Arthur delivers with hardly any hesitation. When Mary-Beth asks about Mary at the beginning of Tilly’s rescue mission, Arthur actively talks about very intricate details of his complicated relationship. First, how he’s been thinking how “it all ended”, mentioning the back and forth stubbornness between the two (”She didn’t love me enough, I guess, or I wouldn’t change”)  and how much he admits he’s a fool for her (”Well, she put a lot of good years in an outlaw”). Another point of his openness to share with Mary-Beth could be seen through a domino game with her. When she asks him about the flower on his tent,  he mentions his mother almost immediately. I was thinking that he would’ve probably said something along the lines of “Just a flower I picked up,” or the same line he says afterward that it’s a “good luck charm”. Instead, he begins with “Oh, it’s something my ma always liked.” Strangely, throughout the game, you almost never really see Arthur open up about his parents before except through this one small interaction between them and the very riveting conversation he has with Sister Calderon. And finally, Mary-Beth is one of the few who he opens up to about his sickness. Some members he tells of his sickness but does not reveal it’s something he could die from, aside from Charles. Most of the members just find it out on their own, judging from Arthur’s behavior and how sick he looked. Even for someone like Sadie, he doesn’t falter and admit it, and she finds out anyway through his implications when he asked her to help John’s family. Mary-Beth has a conversation in the Chapter 6 camp where he openly admits his situation, and only to Mary-Beth alone, not for the other girls like the other conversations. Afterward, he states something that even he wouldn’t even tell Sister Calderon, or Charles during their heartfelt conversation onward to Fort Wallace. He tells her that he “started to see things differently,” and that “the whole world seems different somehow.” It’s strange how such a simple conversation can reveal so many thoughts of Arthur outside of his journal, with none other than Mary-Beth. Next up, some more minor points but still support the theory nonetheless:  Another unique interaction he has compared to the other members of the camp is his constant asking of her if she’s okay with the decision of joining the gang. He always asks her if she was happy sticking with them “reprobates” or if she’s okay about joining "this band of maniacs”. For a man who loved his gang like a family, he’s constantly trying to steer her away from their outlaw life, asking her about it possibly hoping that one day she’ll say no and make a life for herself. It also shows his protective nature towards Mary-Beth. Remember Karen joining the bank robbery in Valentine? He didn’t seem to mind that Karen’s going to involve herself in a high stakes bank robbery planned by the clumsy Bill himself where all of them could get killed. Yet, when Sean, the other goof of the camp, readies a plan of his own to rob a stagecoach with Mary-Beth and Arthur finds out she’s joining, he‘s up in arms about it and forces Sean to invite him, and never really admits he’s worried. It’s also important to note that during Bill’s coach robbery, he doesn’t mind inviting Tilly over to join them when Bill said he needed one of the girls to come along with them, so his demeanor towards Mary-Beth’s safety is unique in itself compared to the other girls in camp Arthur also puts Mary-Beth in high regard, even though she only knows how to steal. He brags to Sean about how she had stolen more than the both of them combined, and how he thought she was just a poor innocent girl being chased by three men until he finds out she stole so much jewelry from them. You’ll also notice Arthur scolding Sean angrily whenever he asks something from her, like “she ain’t blind,” when Sean asks her if she sees the part of the road where she’ll be putting her act on, or when he tries to confirm if she knows what she’ll be doing,  A final important point, if you still aren’t convinced so far: We know that there are two times Arthur gets into these sessions where he’s thinking about the past with voices echoing in the background. It happens twice, one right after his tuberculosis diagnosis, and the second is when he’s on his last ride back to camp. In both iterations, the last voices and words he remembers are FROM Mary-Beth. Specifically, the last quote he hears after the diagnosis is “Well, she was a fool then, Arthur”. This does NOT make any sense at first, if you think about it, but context is important. Mary-Beth says this right after Arthur talks about the end of his relationship with Mary. As I mentioned previously, when Mary-Beth asked what happened with their break up, Arthur told her that he thinks that she didn’t love him enough, or that he wouldn’t change. Mary-Beth sides with him, which leads to her calling Mary a fool for not loving him enough. Arthur afterwards defends her, talking about how he’s the real fool. Perhaps, he thought he truly was, because now it was already too late for him to enjoy a life with Mary.

Meanwhile, the last quote he hears during his last ride back to camp was “Maybe it’s a sign, Arthur... try... try to do the good thing.” This dialogue comes from a conversation with Mary-Beth at camp, when he admits to her that he’s dying. Strangely, this conversation is easily missed, yet regardless if you get into the conversation or not, this will still appear. If I recall correctly, this conversation only pops up right after the TB diagnosis (which is why it’s easy to miss) and not anymore after, which implies that her words must have impacted him so much that he followed through with it for the rest of the chapter. Maybe Rockstar planned for this conversation between them to be a part of the mission somehow, but never got around to it, considering how important it was. It could allude to the idea that maybe she really is the love interest of Arthur that they scrapped before the game’s release, but that’s another theory for another time. Sure, maybe it’s just a coincidence, but there are so many other people he could remember quotes and heartfelt words from, like Sister Calderon and Hosea. Yet to have Mary-Beth’s words be the last things he thinks about in both of the times he was at his most vulnerable shows not only his value of her, but also the fact that he may have truly shaped his eventual deeds through her advice.  So that’s all for this long ass essay. Maybe I’ve convinced you, maybe not, but all in all I think their relationship is so uniquely presented that it should never be overlooked. I welcome any criticism, retorts or anything that could debunk it, and I’ll be ready to answer.  I think deep down they really loved each other, but neither could admit their feelings with one another. Also they’re both adults so don’t be so bothered with the age gap... I know I’m not, for Arthur I mean. :x Also, I totally don’t put myself in Mary-Beth’s shoes from time to time. *coughs* Oh no i have tb.